Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Zhongjing
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"What do you mean? Stealing a person?"
"It's a long story."
The old woman patted her waist a couple of times while standing hunched over.
Hong Geolgae led the old woman under a nearby tree. It happened to be a willow, which didn't block the rain well. Water streamed down like waterfalls along the drooping branches.
Still, it was better than standing still and getting pelted by the downpour.
The old woman began her tale.
"Do you know there was once a dispute in Zhongjing between the Filthy Clothes Faction and the Righteous Faction?"
Hong Geolgae shook his head at the old woman's question.
"First time hearing it."
"Nowadays, the Beggars' Sect in Zhongjing means the Righteous Faction, but thirty or so years ago, Zhongjing was split evenly between the Filthy Clothes Faction and the Righteous Faction. The current Central Region Deputy Branch Leader, Red-Faced Old Beggar, belongs to the Righteous Faction, but back then, the Deputy Branch Leader was Willow Stick Beggar from the Filthy Clothes Faction."
The old woman continued her story, rummaging through her memories.
"The Filthy Clothes Faction and the Righteous Faction never got along from the start. The Filthy Clothes Faction belittled the Righteous Faction for forgetting their roots, while the Righteous Faction mocked the Filthy Clothes Faction for being outdated. With no proper way to mediate, the atmosphere grew increasingly hostile."
Hong Geolgae listened with a disinterested expression. The old woman's story seemed to be veering off track a bit.
"Then one day, a massive fight broke out between the Filthy Clothes Faction and the Righteous Faction. I don't know what sparked it. What matters is that the Central Region Deputy Branch Leader overseeing Zhongjing, Willow Stick Beggar, died in the chaos. Once it reached that point, there was no stopping halfway—they had to see it through to the end. The Righteous Faction completely drove out the Filthy Clothes Faction."
Hong Geolgae interrupted the old woman. No matter how he listened, it didn't seem related to Ma Jeon-gae.
"Isn't this unrelated to Elder Ma Jeon-gae?"
"No, it's connected. Word spread far and wide that Ma Jeon-gae had fled with Willow Stick Beggar's son. Righteous Faction sect members searched everywhere for Ma Jeon-gae, but he was never caught."
Hong Geolgae froze like a stone.
There were only two beggars in Zhuul Village: Hong Geolgae and Ma Jeon-gae. And the villagers said Ma Jeon-gae had brought the young Hong Geolgae to settle in Zhuul Village.
No one knew more about Ma Jeon-gae and Hong Geolgae than Ma Jeon-gae himself. Not even Hong Geolgae knew more than that.
"By any chance, what was Willow Stick Beggar's name?"
"Hong Jeong, I think."
Hong Jeong and Hong Jusam. Was the shared surname a coincidence?
Why had Jonggyeon abandoned that name to call himself Hong Gyeon?
Why had he treated Hong Geolgae like his own son yet insisted to the end on being called master?
The answer was simple. Unable to abandon Willow Stick Beggar's son to die, he had rescued the boy and fled Zhongjing.
Hong Geolgae's voice trembled slightly.
"...Do you know anything more about Elder Ma Jeon-gae?"
"Not particularly. He wasn't noteworthy before he fled."
"Anything at all. Even the smallest detail..."
"Hmm."
The old woman pondered deeply, then recalled a faded memory.
"He once hid in a hemp field peeking at other beggars practicing martial arts and got beaten half to death for it. In a way, a thief is a thief."
"Ah..."
Hong Geolgae could say nothing.
The old woman gazed at him for a long while but didn't press further.
As she rose to leave, the old woman said,
"If you ever meet Ma Jeon-gae, tell him an old woman surnamed Yong asks after his well-being. And if he wishes to meet, tell him to return to Zhongjing."
"Y-Yes..."
Hong Geolgae didn't even know what he was replying. His mind was blank.
He sat dazed under the willow, watching the Yong old woman vanish into the rain.
Only then did Hong Geolgae realize the meaning of the four knots Ma Jeon-gae had tied.
In the Beggars' Sect, four knots signified a Dharma Protector. One who guarded the laws and rules, or a specific person.
Had he claimed the title to protect Deputy Branch Leader Willow Stick Beggar? No, that couldn't be. Willow Stick Beggar had died before Ma Jeon-gae called himself a Dharma Protector.
When he did claim it, the only one by his side was Hong Geolgae.
Hong Geolgae also understood why the martial arts Ma Jeon-gae taught were so sloppy.
It wasn't properly learned martial arts. It was just what he'd glimpsed hiding in the hemp field, prepared to get beaten.
Ma Jeon-gae had taught it from distant memories, passing on what he'd only watched from afar. He knew nothing of mental techniques or footwork.
What must it have been like for Ma Jeon-gae, who knew his own understanding was less than half-formed, yet had to teach Hong Geolgae anyway?
Hong Geolgae sprang to his feet and ran with all his might. He didn't even know where he was headed. He just followed his feet.
He ran until he was out of breath and stopped at the Yangtze shore—the place where he'd let go of the straw rope Ma Jeon-gae had tied for him.
The river surged wildly. The sound of raindrops pounding the surface was deafening.
He saw a log drifting along get swept under by the current. It vanished, leaving only a few white bubbles. No one confident in their swimming would jump into such waters in their right mind.
But Hong Geolgae jumped into the Yangtze. He was half out of his mind. All he trusted was the meager swimming he'd learned splashing in the stream by Zhuul Village and washing his hair.
Swept by the fierce current, his body flailed like a kite with cut strings. But Hong Geolgae desperately powered his limbs and peered into the water with wide eyes.
Through the foam, things gradually came into view: water plants, small pebbles, sand billowing murkily from the riverbed. Fish hiding in rock crevices flickered by. Of course, that wasn't what Hong Geolgae sought.
'The straw rope.'
Swimming with the current, he might find the straw rope Ma Jeon-gae had knotted for him, he thought.
A wiser person might have thought of a better way, but Hong Geolgae wasn't that smart.
He drifted and swam along the river for a long time. Only when he was out of breath did he head for the surface. The current was so strong even surfacing was hard.
"Huff, huff!"
He gulped air vigorously a couple of times, then swam frantically to the bank. When he reached shore, his limbs trembled.
Then he jumped back into the Yangtze.
He drifted far downstream like that, then swam back to shore for dear life. He vomited water for a while, massaged his stiff limbs briefly, then plunged in again.
Each time he dove, he felt he might never crawl back to shore.
But Hong Geolgae's mind was filled only with the need to retrieve the straw rope. It was the only thing Ma Jeon-gae had given him, and he'd let it go himself.
How long had he scoured the river bottom? Then Hong Geolgae spotted something undulating among the underwater plants.
'Found it.'
The straw rope was tangled in the plants. He could even glimpse the knots. It wasn't found through inevitability. Just sheer miraculous luck. But that luck came from braving the danger.
Hong Geolgae swam to the bottom. Unlike the surface, the deep current wasn't so fierce.
He grasped the straw rope. A few strands of water plants came up with it.
As he tried to swim up, he felt a slimy, ticklish sensation around his ankle.
He looked down. Water plants had wrapped around his ankle. Realizing his mistake, he shook his leg urgently, but the plants held fast.
Holding his breath, he thrashed his leg every which way. But the tight weeds didn't give. When he could hold it no longer, Hong Geolgae exhaled. Pinned to the bottom, he watched the bubbles rise toward the shimmering surface.
'I'm going to die.'
At that moment, someone dove in. They tore away the weeds, then grabbed Hong Geolgae by the scruff. Choking on water, dazed, Hong Geolgae was pulled to the surface and dragged to shore.
He couldn't even stand, lying sideways coughing up water violently. He'd truly nearly died this time.
He gasped in air hurriedly. Huff, huuuff—
Coughs followed again. Hong Geolgae coughed madly, spat water, inhaled air, repeating it over and over.
Only after several rounds could he grasp his surroundings. Kneeling beside him, coughing similarly, was Dang Mujin.
Two fools who'd plunged into the Yangtze through the storm hacked up water. Idiots and morons on a rainy day. The two stupidest in all Zhongjing.
Dang Mujin, finishing first, kicked Hong Geolgae hard in the side.
"You idiot, why the hell jump in the water on a day like this?"
Waterlogged, his nose and head throbbed. Now his side hurt too.
But for some reason, he felt uncontrollably joyful.
Clutching his kicked side, gripping the three-knotted straw rope, still vomiting water, Hong Geolgae chuckled through coughs.
"Did you eat something weird and lose your mind?"
He heard Dang Mujin's grumbling voice. He needed to explain, but where to start? Little Three-Knots' request? Dengshan Tower Master's advice? Or the Yong old woman's story?
Suddenly, he felt the sodden knots in his hand.
Right. Tedious explanations didn't matter. What would Master do now?
The answer was clear. The girl with the missing front tooth, grinning wide. Master would have gone straight to rescue Little Xian.
Could he save Little Xian?
It would be hard. But doing the right thing doesn't require it to be easy. That was Ma Jeon-gae's final lesson, standing against the Ja-yang Twin Killers.
In this great city of Zhongjing, who would help him?
No one.
The sect members would refuse, saying they had to repair the embankments. Timid beggars would hole up trembling somewhere.
But one person might.
The fool who'd fled from two swordsmen but sneaked back. The moron who'd jump into the Yangtze in a downpour.
So Hong Geolgae spoke, hoping Dang Mujin was as foolish as him.
"Mujin, can you help me just this once?"
"You idiot. I've already helped once, so you should say 'one more time.'"
Dang Mujin didn't even ask what the request was. He just kicked Hong Geolgae's side again.
"Whatever it is, I'll help. Let's go."
Hong Geolgae chuckled as he stood.
The two fools vanished into Zhongjing's rain.